View source for Shiv Sena

===Origins===
After the [[Independence of India]] in 1947, regional administrative divisions from the colonial era were gradually changed and states following linguistic borders were created. Within the [[Bombay Presidency]], a massive popular struggle was launched for the creation of a state for the Marathi-speaking people. In 1960, the presidency was divided into two linguistic states: [[Gujarat]] and [[Maharashtra]]. Moreover, Marathi-speaking areas of the erstwhile [[Hyderabad state]] were joined with Maharashtra. Bombay, in many ways the economic capital of India, became the state capital of Maharashtra. On one hand, people belonging to the [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]] community owned the majority of the industry and trade enterprises in the city.<ref name="Public sector, Threats against other communities, businesses owned especially by Gujarati and Marwaris/">
{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Sena-fate-From-roar-to-meow/articleshow/1311115.cms |title=Sena fate: From roar to meow |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2006-08-11 |date=29 November 2005}}
</ref> There was a steady flow of [[South India]]n migrants to the city leading to fears that they would take many white-collar jobs{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}.

In 1960, [[Bal Thackeray]], a Mumbai-based cartoonist, began publishing the satirical cartoon weekly ''[[Marmik]]''. Through this publication, he started disseminating anti-migrant sentiments. On 19 June 1966, Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena as a political organisation.

The Shiv Sena attracted many unemployed Marathi youth, who were attracted by Thackeray's charged anti-migrant oratory. Shiv Sena cadres became involved in various attacks against the South Indian communities, vandalizing South Indian restaurants and pressuring employers to hire Marathis.<ref name="Rediff article: sons of the soil, lungi slogan, shakhas, south Indians in 1970, shift to Hindutva, defeat of communists/">{{cite web |url=http://in.rediff.com/election/2004/apr/23espec3.htm |title=Know Your Party: Shiv Sena |work=Rediff.com |access-date=2006-07-22}}</ref>

Initially apolitical, the organisation was patronised by the then Chief Minister [[Vasantrao Naik]] who used it for curbing trade unions and maintain stranglehold of the Congress.<ref name="revolutionarydemocracy"/><ref name="Patel Thorner 1995"/> Because of its close association with Vasantrao, the organisation was also referred to as "Vasant Sena".<ref name="revolutionarydemocracy"/><ref name="Srivastava"/>

The Shiv Sena declared support to [[The Emergency (India)|the Emergency]] in 1975 and supported the Congress in the [[1977 Indian general election|1977 general election]].<ref name=":1"/> In [[1980 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election|1980 Maharashtra Assembly election]], the party did not contest from any seat however it campaigned for the Congress.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Ananth |first=Venkat |date=2014-09-22 |title=The anatomy of an alliance: The BJP-Shiv Sena story |url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/VbrxNc2FSZuGroknO7I97M/The-anatomy-of-an-alliance-The-BJPShiv-Sena-story.html |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=mint |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-12 |title=BJP longest, but once earlier too Congress was a Shiv Sena friend |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/bjp-longest-but-once-earlier-too-congress-was-a-shiv-sena-friend-8204394/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Deshpande |first=Alok |date=2019-11-06 |title=History lessons: when Sena and Congress helped each other out |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/history-lessons-when-sena-and-congress-helped-each-other-out/article29903106.ece |access-date=2024-04-12 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>